Kishida orders culture minister to investigate Unification Church

The government's panel of experts said in a proposal issued on Monday that dissolution of the church should be an option considered by investigators. This would mean that the church would no longer be a tax-exempt religious organization.

If the LDP was not complicit this should have been done ages ago.

And to make it fair for all religious organizations.

They are parasitic, defraud the vulnerable in many cases, and use their wealth and influence to provide themselves with special benefits the public does not enjoy, such as tax exemption.

Such bold steps are obviously beyond the LDP, and a whitewash is more in order.

Like asking the wolf to count the chickens.

The Unification Church is a Christian Fascist cult organisation introduced into Japan and sponsored by the Kishi/Abe family with the intent of defrauding gullible members of the public under the guise of anti-communism. It should be rigorously investigated and dissolved. All religious groups in Japan should lose their tax-exempt status.

Given the Unification Church's relationship with North Korea (both Moon and his wife were born there) the number of skeletons in the LDP closet must be astonishing. It's inconceivable this investigation will be anything other than a whitewash.

nothing like an internal investigation...run by the same party lol in most other 1st world countries this would smack of corruption

One down, now go after the cult of the science of happiness and make it two!

He did it a bit too late. If he had eagerly done it like 3 months ago, his rating would have shot up significantly. But now instead it makes it look like he was force to make some effort due to the low rating. He allow the organization to have way too much time to prepare for any investigation.

If the government here couldnt get rid of the AUM cult, which was reborn under the name Adelph, and still evidently exists today, how are they even going to consider dissolution?

Loosing tax exempt status is one thing, actually getting rid of the church is next to impossible here.

The Unification Church is a Christian Fascist cult organisation

You make my day. These weird people and their followers are neither Christian nor fascist. That’s all nothing else then a pseudo-cult covering its money generating Ponzi scheme pyramid. Usually one would forbid them right from the beginning, not only half-heartedly investigating them. But I know it’s almost impossible to do, because they can hide behind the constitution which is very liberal in case of all religion related issues.

Why do any churches get tax breaks? That's what gave us scientology.

What is that religious group that distributes newspapers with Mount Fuji in the front page? Usually distributed by older women? I often see them near train stations and even leaves the papers on my post if I do not answer the door when they knock.

One step in the right direction, the people deserve to know the truth and I hope that this investigation will bring out the truth about how the UC operated and influenced the LDP decision making.

It's a shame that it took the life of a public figure to start this investigation.

Good. Go after them and their members. Shut em down. Take away their tax status.

One down, now go after the cult of the science of happiness and make it two!

Yep. Also time to go after "Aleph" - the evil cult formerly known as Aum Shinrikyo - as well as the American scam cult of Scientology.

Japan will be so much safer without these sick and dangerous cults and people in them.

"" Kishida said the government had received more than 1,700 requests for help over financial trouble and mental health problems related to the church. He vowed to expand support for victims.""

When someone brain washes you, then drains your life savings, then suck the life out of you and leaves you at his or her mercy, with NO help in sight you will loose your mind and edge closer to death.

The Unification Church was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, an anti-communist and self-declared messiah......Moon died in 2012. So much for the "self"- declaring brigade. It's the "self" denying, "poor in spirit" who will inherit the earth.

Most members of the church believe its doctrines. Mass weddings. It’s the LDP which needs to change otherwise after serval years another group will just replace them.

Kishida instructed the culture minister to prepare an investigation into the church under the Religious Corporations Act.

Does Kishida honestly think that the Japanese public will fall for this?

Maybe they will, but I surely hope not.

Criminals investigating criminal.

What could go wrong?

What exactly is being investigated?

This should have been done before the government spent how much on Abe's very over the top memorial service.

The only reason this story has come to surface is because of the death of Abe and his alleged involvement and support for this so-called institution and how it left one family's children suffering after their mother gave all their life savings away to this alleged cult.

Given the Unification Church's relationship with North Korea (both Moon and his wife were born there) the number of skeletons in the LDP closet must be astonishing. It's inconceivable this investigation will be anything other than a whitewash.

It is also ironic that most ultranationalist elites of Japan live off paychecks from Korean cultists who preach that Japan will be the Korean nation.

Japanese ultranationalists are big hypocrites!

Yep. Also time to go after "Aleph" - the evil cult formerly known as Aum Shinrikyo - as well as the American scam cult of Scientology.

I guess while we are at it, let's have them get rid of the all the rest of the "cults" of faith that the damn foreigners brought in too.

All of them are scams too if you scratch the surface just a little.

It is also ironic that most ultranationalist elites of Japan live off paychecks from Korean cultists who preach that Japan will be the Korean nation.

Japanese ultranationalists are big hypocrites!

I think that's why they are so furiously posting here. They've been exposed. It never ceases to amaze me how the rightists doubled down on their support for the LDP in light of the Moonie scandal. It seems that Japanese Nationalism is less about love of Japan and more about maintaining the reigns of power. Same as it was during WW2, which is why the imperial war council refused to end the war until Hirohito stood up and said that's it. Today nothing has changed. The Moonie scandal has shown that. And having the public realize that Japanese Nationalism is about preservation of the power structure and not about the love of Japan is the thing I think the rightists fear the most. Because when that mask comes off, their credibility goes right out the window.

Kishida has no choice but to address the issue:

1) They are trying to salvage Shinzo's legacy thus the LDP's credibility.

2) He needs a distraction from the economy.

3) He needs to appear like he did something. (However, it will be a long drawn out sham of an investigation, give a deep bow, ask for an apology for the inconvenience, claim no crimes were committed Shinzo, and make someone step down as a scapegoat.)

Tetsuya Yamagami's actions has set off a chain of events that has made him (Testuya) the most influential person in Japan for 2022. This is how revolutions and coups have started in other countries.

Kishida or LDP does not need to do anything.

Japanese constitution guarantees religious freedom (Article 20) and rights to participate in political activities (Article 21). In other words, a person can participate in political activities (such as helping certain candidates) regardless of her/his religion.

So there is nothing wrong (not a crime) when Unification Church believers help LDP or any other candidates. It is actually most important rights for anybody regardless of beliefs.

If anybody comits a crime, then procecute only based on laws, without any consideration of her/his race, gender, sexual orientaion or religion.

Is there any area that isn't corrupt with the LDP? Why do these things always take so long? Why are there so many announcements of action, but no results? Why is there such a giant difference between the NHK news and Yahoo news?

At this point, anyone who doesn't expect this Unification Church thing to go really deep looks foolish.